New Dimensions

23 Years ago I ventured out into the unfamiliar realm of self-employment. That was on 5 February 1992, just before Nelson Mandela was made a free man by Mr. F. W. de Klerk. At that time I had no clue of what to do or how to run a successful business. I was retrenched and on my own. Now I can look back with a smile on my face because I can say, “I made it.” So here is a story that proves a point. I am quoting it from my blog post on Typepad: “I read a story of how a young boy lost his left arm in a car accident. You can imagine how devastating this was for him. He eventually took up judo. His judo master taught him one move only. He could not understand why the sensei only taught him that one move. In his first tournament he easily won his first two matches. The final match was against a more difficult opponent. It seemed as though he had met his match and the end seemed like it wasn't going his way. Through perseverance the boy finally won with that one move wh...

Three years after our last   Southern Skies 24 Hour Race in Parys and another invitation to compete this year again. If we enter, what lies ahead for us? Are we still up to the challenge? At this moment I don't know who will be in our team, but this is a picture of our members in 2012. My wife and I are on the far left and my son-in-law and daughter are on the far right.  In terms of preparation my wife, Maggie, and I would have to start practising daily to get ourselves back into shape again. We also need to have our mountain bikes serviced. Besides that we also need to make sure that our camping gear and equipment are all ready. We would have to get some powerful LED lights for riding at night. Maybe I should consider taking a voice recorder along so that I don't miss out on recording events as they are happening - better for blogging about our experiences afterwards. Keeping a record of experiences like these are great for when I'm older and don't feel like ...

What does 2015 have in store for us? I would like to think that it's going to be far better than 2014. For one thing I know more than what I did last year. Believe it or not last year was a great year, but I feel on the seat of my pants that this year will be a cracker. All I have to do is make the most of opportunities that come my way. As it is I'm practically sitting on a huge opportunity, but can I pull it off? Now the question is, what would I do if I made a million with this opportunity? Yes, it could happen. And yes, maybe it won't. But, looking on the positive side, if it does happen, what would I do with the proceeds? Here's my wish-list. A BMW 1200 RT. I had one before and had the thrill of my life riding it. The newer model from has a much lower centre of gravity for better handling and loads of power. Yes, I like riding motorcycles because I not only feel at one with the machine (almost like riding a race horse), but I also feel at home in nature - i...

A while ago someone emailed me from LinkedIn to be a contact. He looked very honest and open and said that he was new to the site. So I accepted him. Not long after that he sent me another email saying he was interested in investing money overseas - he was from the UK, I think. According to him he was an electrical engineer. What he wanted from me was a business plan so that he could decide on a joint venture. When I checked his email address a red flag went up in the back of my mind. In response I asked him why he had such an unusual email address.Guess what, he never came back with an answer, which tells me that he wasn't really who he made himself out to be. Imagine what could have happened if I gave him a full business plan! So, beware of people masquerading as someone else contacting you out of the blue with a proposal that sounds too good to be true.

The Sun, like an angry king, occupies centre stage in our Solar System with glorious pomp. Gigantic flares periodically gush outwards from its massive diameter of 1 392 684 km comprising hydrogen and helium. Even this majestic ball of fire isn't stationery, but moves within the Milky Way. At various distances planets dance in orbits around the sun. Mercury and Venus are the closest and bear the brunt of its nuclear fury. But they are not the subject of our attention for now. At about 150 000 km, the Third Rock from the Sun, we find an awesome planet called Earth. Graced with continents, oceans and an atmosphere Mother Earth is home to life in all its glory. This jewel of a planet is 190 times smaller than the sun and races through the darkness of space at the lightning speed of 30 km per second. This is fast enough to go around the world in seven minutes or to the moon in four hours. Enough to make you want to grab onto something for safety, but we are blissful...

Also known as All Hallows' Eve celebrated annually  on or about  31 October – 1 November. Most of what I have seen regarding this celebration has been on the television or in movies originating in Hollywood - shucks, I first spelled that wrong and had to Google it even though I have been to the place many years ago. What I have seen is that kids normally go from house to house all dressed up in costumes trick or treating getting sweets. It looks like a huge thing states-wise, but here where I live it hasn't taken off at all. Maybe people feel safer all locked up in their houses cut off and isolated from each other. What a shame. I know they are capable of more friendly interaction in this country, but alas, it's not to be. I have been to America and noticed how open-minded they are. My first impressions were that the people I met there were very loud, but noticed that beyond that many were very open to communicate with visitors from other countries - me! When I was in...

On 31 st December 2009 we collected our brand new shiny mountain bikes from a dealer in Boksburg called Cajees. I had a Scott Aspect and Maggie a Schwinn Frontier. Maggie had never owned a bike before, but she managed to ride it around the block. On her following rides she often fell but always got up and tried again. For the first month her legs were always covered with blue marks. We cycled regularly, sometimes twice a day, and I decided to keep a logbook just for the fun of it. Sean, my son-in-law, wanted us to compete in the Southern Skies 24 Hour Race. On 1 st May 2010 we arrived at Parys totally unprepared for the event. The whole setup looked very intimidating and we soon discovered that we were totally useless on the course. It had rained heavily leaving water puddles everywhere. The conditions were treacherous for us beginners and in some places we had to battle through deep mud. Needless to say we only completed a single lap and left for home early the following day. ...